Album of the Month: Cold World – How The Gods Chill

The day is finally here, Cold World have returned with their latest monster record, How The Gods Chill. The band’s first release since 2008, this record displays an encouraging return to form. The long anticipated album was set loose by Deathwish Inc. on August 5th and boasts some of the biggest NYHC style riffs and grooves you’ll hear this year. Strap yourself in for 13 tracks of powerhouse, hiphop tinged hardcore, Cold World are back.

Opening tracks, ‘Blind’ and ‘Real Deal’ feature the kind of ruthless muscle fans have come to expect from this Pennsylvanian hardcore outfit, packed to the brim with rapid punk bellicosity and straight from the heart lyrics. ‘Never Knows Best’ follows, kicking off with some discordant, distorted guitar chords before crashing into a groove driven riff which would sound perfectly at home on a Life of Agony track. ‘Cracks of Hate’ yields yet more mammoth riffs before dropping into a well-timed hip- hop break down, featuring up and coming NY rapper Meyhem Lauren. Mid album track, ‘Never’ is by no means just filler. Potentially my highlight of the record, this ominous hardcore anthem blurs the definition of the genre and stands tall as one of the band’s most original tracks to date.

‘Find Your Way’ and ‘Omega’ wind it up and bring back the rapid hardcore punk sound found at the start of the record and previous Cold World albums. Cold World let off yet another genre-bomb in the form of guest vocalist Kool G Rap on ‘Hell’s Direction’. The hiphop vibe found on How The Gods Chill fits effortlessly with the band’s usual ruthless style, never feeling at all forced, Cold World make it look easy. The song opens with jarring guitar melodies accompanied by G Rap’s distinct vocals all before dropping into a bone shuddering Cold World riff. The genre bending ‘Hell’s Direction’ tops of the album in monumental fashion.

There is always a lot of pressure on a band to deliver after such a vast gap between albums and thankfully, How The Gods Chill doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. Cold World have risen from the ashes and unleashed yet another, undeniably outstanding hardcore record. Taking influence from classic bands, Life of Agony and Only Living Witness, before adding a drop of their own raw character, along with a healthy dose of hiphop sensibility this album stands head and shoulders above the rest. Cold World are a shining inspiration for modern hardcore, let’s hope we won’t have to wait six years for the next one.